Before Jessie Reyez captivated the world with her raw vocals and emotional songwriting, she was just a teenager pouring her heartbreak into melodies inside a quiet music room at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Brampton.
Born in Toronto to Colombian parents, Reyez, 33, spent her formative years in Brampton, where her family resided while she was young.
“I got love for Brampton,” Reyez told Now Toronto at the Departure Festival red carpet last week. “They sleep on Brampton. They never had a Mackay’s patties. It’s a great place to be from.”
Honoured with the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Award, Reyez lit up the festival with her presence and talent.
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Despite receiving several accolades throughout her career, including five JUNO awards, Reyez has not forgotten her roots.
Brampton, often overshadowed in Canada’s music landscape, became a sanctuary for Reyez – a place where she first stitched grief into lyrics.
@nowtoronto The inaugural Departure Festival is underway at Hotel X in Toronto, celebrating the world's best talents in music, art, comedy, and tech! We dropped by the Honours red carpet to check in with some Canadian stars. 🇨🇦🎶 @departurefest @hotelxtoronto #Departure2025 #CanadianMusic ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
Her musical journey began early. A self-taught guitarist and writer, Reyez was already composing songs in high school. But it was in the back room of the Aquinas’ music class, tucked behind the main space, where one of her earliest breakthroughs happened.
“The first time I ever made a song was in the music room in the corner… and when I was heartbroken and depressed, and I couldn’t really be in the caf because I couldn’t keep my emotions together, I’d run over there and Mr. Lado would let me kick it in there,” Reyez explained.
“That was where I wrote my first song that I ever saw someone get emotional to,” she said.
That moment came courtesy of her close friend Mona, whose son is Reyez’s Godson.
Though Reyez left Brampton, first to return to Toronto, then to Florida, and eventually back to Toronto again for The Remix Project, the city still holds a unique place in her story.
Now a celebrated singer-songwriter known for hits like “Figures”, Reyez continues to claim Brampton as part of her origin story, in addition to other cities she has a connection with.
“I’d be lying if I told you that’s [Brampton] all I claim because I also claim Toronto, because I lived here for so long, and I was born here. And I also claim Florida because I also lived there for a long time. But, Brampton has a special place in my heart,” Reyez said.
